Cherry blossom - Sakura & Sasuke
by camidsm
Summary: Two years have passed since the Fourth Ninja War. Sasuke has been living away from Konoha ever since, but Sakura hears some news that he may be in danger. Then, she decides to reconnect with the renegade ninja in order to help him. With their reencounter, their love blossoms. Story in four chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Cherry Blossom – Sakura no Hidensho

Chapter 1

A sunny sky welcomed Naruto, Sai and Sakura back to Konoha. Two years had passed since the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War, the last great conflict the world had witnessed. After that, the hidden villages came back to fulfill missions to assure the protection of the people and to guarantee the balance between the nations. The Team 7 returned from a mission so tiring that now all they wanted was to relax a little. Excited by the idea of soon eating a lamen, Naruto smiled and turned his face to Sakura. She was beautiful, although her body was covered by the dust from the road and her face looked tired.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said, "why don't we go to a bath house and relax a little? You and I could…"

Before he could end the sentence, Naruto was thrown to the ground by a blow.

"Shannarō!" Sakura said, hitting a punch on his head. "You are being too naughty!"

"But I said nothing naughty, Sakura-chan!" He complained, massaging the top of his head. "We're all very dirty, we could use a bath!"

"I'd like a bath," Sai said, enjoying the conversation between his team colleagues, "but only after we see Kakashi-sensei."

"Let's go now!" Naruto yelled.

"You're such an idiot, Naruto!" Sakura snarled. "You forgot we have to make a report to Hokage about our mission?"

"This sucks", Naruto grumbled, trying to get up. He had never gotten used to Sakura's incredible force.

"It's our obligation, Naruto," Sai said, reaching out and holding Naruto's hand. "But one of us is enough. I'll report to the Hokage and you two can go and have some rest."

"That's wonderful! Dattebayo!" Naruto yelled, jumping to the top of a building. He seemed to be completely recovered from the punch. "See you around!" he said, vanishing among the villages rooftops.

"Can I go with you, Sai?" Sakura asked. "I'm not exactly in a hurry to meet my parents. Besides, I need to talk to Shizune-san. We were supposed to meet before the mission, but I didn't have the time."

"That's ok, I can go alone. Keep me company until the Hokage's office, then you go and look for Shizune-san." Sai hesitated a little. "But before that, I want to ask you a question."

"What?"

"When will you stop beating on Naruto?"

"When he stops being such an idiot!" Sakura answered, causing Sai to flash a shy smile.

They kept talking until they reached the building where the Hokage's office was. In the entrance, they saw a person carrying a pile of papers so tall that the face was hid. Some of them escaped the pile and flew everywhere. When the person came closer, they recognized Shizune.

"Sakura-chan, what a good surprise!" she said.

"I was on my way to meet you, Shizune-san" Sakura replied. "I owe you a visit since before my last mission. Did something happen?"

"Yeah—Tsunade-sama is in the village and she's driving me crazy! She's been all around, from bar to bar—she wants to get drunk, but no bar is accepting her because her debt is too high. Look at all the bills I'm having to pay!"

Sai and Sakura were flabbergasted by Shizune's answer. They expected something worse, tough.

"Well, if that's all, I'll leave you to meet Kakashi-sensei. See you later," Sai said, walking into the building.

Sakura said goodbye to her teammate and looked back to her friend, that still looked upset.

"Let me help you," said Sakura, taking some of papers from Shizune's hands. "Was it all that you wanted to talk to me?"

"And is it not enough? Tsunade-sama warned me she would come to Konoha before you left on a mission. As her disciple too, it's your duty to help me."

Sakura looked at the papers she had in her hands. Most of them described expenses with alcohol and illegal gambling, but one of them had a list of names: Konoha's renegade ninjas. Among them, she recognized a familiar name.

"What's that, Shizune-san?" she muttered, showing Shizune the paper.

"Let me see. That's weird, this paper doesn't belong to Tsunade-sama. Maybe it's Hokage's. I took the pile from his desk, because Tsunade-sama hasn't changed the billing address yet. By the way, I think she did this on purpose so that she won't be found easily."

Sakura barely listened to the end of the phrase. Simply reading that name awakened a series of old feelings. Overrun with anxiety, she ran to the Hokage's office. When she was close enough to the door to hear what was being said inside the room, she recognized Sai's voice, probably making the report of the mission. She was about to enter the office when she heard Kakashi say the same name she had just read.

"Sasuke is in danger and I want you to offer our help, Sai. This mission is secret."

Sakura stopped, surprise. Kakashi was a strong ninja, he wouldn't be easily scared by an opponent. Besides, he knew that Sasuke was very powerful. If, nevertheless, he had concluded that the renegade ninja was in danger, the enemy should be strong. Trying not to be uncovered, Sakura suppressed her own chakra and leaned against the office's door. Now she wanted to hear the whole conversation.

"Do you want me to go after him?" Sai asked.

"For now, just send one of your birds with a message. We don't know how Sasuke will react to our help offer. It's essential that this mission remains secret, especially to Naruto and Sakura. If they find out that Sasuke is in danger, they'll want to interfere with it, and I don't want this two falling prey to the enemy too. One impulsive action of any of them could endanger the village, and I won't risk it, not even for Sasuke."

Kakashi's words hit Sakura's heart. If the enemy was capable of threatening Sasuke to the point of preoccupying Kakashi, they couldn't be ignored.

"Where do I send my bird to?" Sai asked.

"Sasuke was seen in the area of Kawaguchi two days ago."

"Then I just wait for an answer?"

"Yes. If it doesn't come in three days, go after him. The enemy is moving fast and maybe he'll reach him before us."

 _Not before me_ , Sakura thought to herself, and ran to her house. The place was empty, her parents should had left to the market. She went to the kitchen and took some food and medicine pills. Then, she went to her bedroom and took some sharpened kunais that she kept on a shelf. She also took some money, in case she decided to rest on a lodging somewhere. She checked if she had forgotten something, then opened the room's window and jumped outside.

Suddenly, while she was still on the air, she felt her right arm being pulled backwards. Instinctively, Sakura put her left hand on the bag where she kept her kunais, wrapped around her thigh, and took one of them, bringing her straight to the assailant's throat.

"Kakashi-sensei — but what —"

"I know you've heard my conversation with Sai," Kakashi said, landing on the rooftop of the building across Sakura's house, while guiding her to do the same. "I'm afraid I can't let you go."

"But Sasuke —"

"He's very strong. Stronger than us both. If you go, you'll put yourself in danger, and Sasuke will think you're being a burden. As Hokage, I'd rather you stay in the village."

Sakura lowered her eyes, hurt by the truth on Kakashi's words. Several times in the past, she had been a nuisance to Sasuke; in others, she had saved his life. Whichever experience had stayed in the renegade ninja's mind, unfortunately, she could imagine. When he saw the sadness that overtook Sakura's face, Kakashi put his hands around her shoulders, to comfort her.

"Cheer up, Sakura-chan! Sasuke knows how to take care of himself. Sai told me that your last mission was very tiring, and now you'll have some days off. Why don't you get some rest and try to have a little fun? Take this time to do something you want to do."

"On my days off, do I have your permission to do whatever I want?"

Kakashi could guess what she would say next. Sakura pulled away from the Hokage's hands.

"I can't stay here while he might be suffering. I need to go after him. I'll use my days off," Sakura said, smiling confidently. "I promise you I'll be back before the next mission, safe and sound."

Kakashi looked at her with a mixture of disbelief and admiration. After all those years, the love she had for the renegade ninja continued to be so strong as it was when they were only child under his supervision. He thought for a minute, then decided that he didn't want to stay on her way.

"In three days, if you don't get in touch, I'll send Sai after you," Kakashi said, watching a smile grow on Sakura's face. "A ninja keeps her word. Go, and come back safe."

"Thank you!" Sakura exclaimed and jumped across the wall that surrounded the Hidden Leaf Village, disappearing among the threes on the forest.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

In the road ahead of Sakura, the sun was setting on the horizon. She had walked all day until she reached the region of Kawaguchi, and now she needed to find out if Sasuke was still around. The region was almost all covered by a forest, with some small villages dotting the area. Since she had left Konoha, Sakura hadn't crossed anyone's path, the region just seemed empty. The road was almost always flat, but now she was ascending a small hill that was hiding the sun beneath the horizon. When she reached its top, she saw a big house at the roadside. Above the door, there was a sign where it read "Genshirin Inn". She sensed a strong and inviting smell of food and decided to make a stop for dinner. When she entered the inn, she realized it was practically empty it wasn't for a lady that warmed herself near a fire.

"Goodnight, young lady," the old woman said, bowing to greet her.

"Goodnight," Sakura answered, returning the gesture. "I'd like to have dinner, if possible, and a room to spend the night."

"Oh, of course! Dinner is almost ready. And we still have many rooms available, the guests must start to come after the sunset. As you were the first to arrive, I will give you our best room. The bed is wide and soft, and there's a huge tub where you can have a hot bath and relax. You look exhausted."

Sakura looked at herself. She hadn't taken a bath since the last mission. Yet, she couldn't afford an expensive room.

"I'm looking for a simple room."

"Don't worry, young lady. This time of the year the inn is mostly empty, and we charge almost the same price for all rooms. Take this card, here you can find all room prices. Do you want to look? I believe you will like it."

Sakura took the card the old woman was offering her, and she was surprised by how low the room prices were. Traveling to the countryside had its advantages.

"Why not?" Sakura said, after thinking for a while. "You have convinced me, I'm taking the room". The old lady took a key, handed it to Sakura and walked to a door, beckoning her.

"Do many people come here?" Sakura asked.

"It depends on the time of the year. But we are the only inn in the region of Kawaguchi. If someone is travelling around this area, will probably sleep in here."

Sakura's eyes gleamed, although the ambiance was poorly lit.

"Have you seen a boy with black eyes and hair these days?"

"Are you expecting someone? The room I'm putting you in is the couples' favorite."

"I don't—" Sakura blushed at the thought of staying there with Sasuke. "Actually, I—"

She was elaborating and appropriate answer when a boom interrupted her. The ground started to shake under her feet. She saw as the old lady leaned against one wall not to fall and did the same, focusing on the sound to discover where it was coming from. It looked like and explosion not so distant.

"Are you ok?" she asked the old woman.

"Yes, I am. That's strange, this region normally doesn't—"

A second wave of tremors hit the house. This time, she could feel a very strong chakra, one she'd never felt before. But there was another thing. She could feel a small chakra swallowed by it, a little weaker, a cold and familiar chakra. Suddenly, she knew where to go. The enemy was already there.

She ran out of the house. When she passed through the door, she felt another tremor and could see a sudden flash far away, above the trees ahead of her. The source of chakra was a few miles north there, it was a matter of minutes if she jumped across the forest. She decided to enter it.

She jumped as fast as she could, while the flashes and tremors intensified. As she progressed, she felt the weight of the enemy's chakra becoming stronger upon her body. Every jump was more difficult than the previous one. She hadn't recovered from the last mission, and occasionally her legs almost failed her when landing. She remembered Kakashi's words. She didn't want to be a burden to Sasuke. She would approach him silently. She would intervene only if he was about to be defeated. If he was standing, she would lie in wait. An attack strategy was imperative. Sakura considered what she would do while measuring the enemy's strength, a power that looked scarier as she approached them.

She continued to jump until she saw a glade that seemed to have been opened by force. The broken tree trunks were still attached to the treetops fallen on the ground. She stopped on the top of a tree by the river that ran across the glade. Its waters brought the debris of the fight to her direction. On the right river bank, a man on his back projected a spear of chakra in front of a tall rock, that had been smacked in the center. The blow had left a hole covered with shrapnel, from where a big blood stain dripped. When the man walked ahead, Sakura could see that he was facing something on the ground, in front of the rock. It was Sasuke, that was severely injured. He seemed to be unconscious.

The man approached him slowly, swaying his trunk as if he was laughing, even though she could not hear anything from where she was. On the ground, Sasuke wouldn't move a muscle.

 _Fight it back_ , she thought. _Get up_.

The man got closer to the body on the ground and raised his arm holding the spear.

As Sasuke remained motionless, Sakura released a little bit of chakra under her feet and jumped towards the enemy. In the air, she concentrated her chakra on her right fist and prepared to hit him on his back, but she was surprised by the enemy's mocking face a few millimeters from hers.

First, she felt an excruciating pain. She had received a punch in her stomach, which had thrown her body backwards. Next, she felt when he hit her back so strong that she was thrown to the ground, smashing it when she fell.

From inside the hole that had formed around her, Sakura could see the enemy approaching, holding the spear in front of him. The man's eyes were bursting with craziness when he pointed her the spear.

"First you, because I don't like to be interrupted. Then, it will be his turn."

"Sasuk—Sas—" she murmured before losing consciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sakura woke up confused. She looked around and realized she wasn't on the battle field anymore, but alone, lying on a bed in an empty room. She looked for an exit through which to scape, and finally saw a window to her right, and a door to her left. The moonlight passed through the window and illuminated the room. She tried to get up, but and excruciating pain on her belly made her fall into the mattress again. She tried it once more, but all she managed to do was seat on the bed, her back against the headboard.

"How did I end up here?" she said to herself. The pain was killing her. "I can't fight being like this. I have to scape before the enemy comes back." Then she remembered she wasn't alone on the battle field. "And Sasuke, I wonder what happened to him."

She feared the worst. She thought about waiting for the enemy to find out what happened. She could catch him by surprise, maybe. But first, she had to stand on her feet. She looked around once more. The room was darkened, illuminated only by the moonlight.

 _How long have I been here?_

A sudden noise interrupted Sakura's thought. The door was being opened. In a fast gesture, she brought her hand to her left thigh to draw a kunai, but she discovered the bag where she kept them wasn't there. She looked to her body and saw she was wearing a kimono that was not hers; also, all her weapons were gone. The second she took to realize how vulnerable she was, the door was flung open and a man entered the room.

"You finally woke up. You have slept for an entire day."

Sakura widened her humid eyes. The low sound of that voice made her whole body shiver.

"I thought you—I saw you on the ground—"

"You shouldn't have intruded." Sasuke interrupted her. "You've messed things up. I was manipulating the enemy to discover his intentions. When you arrived, I had to kill the man before he killed you."

"I'm so sorry, Sasuke-kun." She lowered her eyes, ashamed. That's when she realized Sasuke wasn't wearing his kimono, his bare chest still marred by the last battle. She looked to herself and recognized Sasuke's kimono on her body. Instinctively, she caressed its neckline, and a familiar smell rose up to her nostril. Sakura blushed, and seeing that, Sasuke furrowed his brow.

"You got very injured in the battle," he said in an irritated tone. "I looked for medicines on your bag and found this place's card. A lady welcomed me and said you had booked this room."

"The inn—" Sakura remembered the place she stopped by before the confrontation. She blushed even more when she recalled the words the old lady said about her expecting someone else to spend the night with. Sakura was moved and smiled at him.

"I cleaned your wounds and mine with your supplies," he said. "As our clothes were torn, and I couldn't find any on your bag, I covered you with my spare kimono."

"Thank you, Sasuke-kun, for taking care of me."

"Thank me by never coming after me again."

These dry words brought Kakashi's discourse back to Sakura's mind, and her smile vanished. She was tired of being considered a nuisance to him.

"I've heard you were in danger and wanted to help," she snarled, "but it seems you don't need it. I don't want to be a burden to you. Don't worry, I'll make sure this is the last time you see me."

Driven by rage, Sakura stood on her feet, turned to the door where Sasuke was standing and took a decisive step forward. When she took the other foot out of the ground, she felt her stomach ache and lost control of her own body. She fell, and her knee was about to hit the ground when she felt Sasuke's arms around her waist. He clenched his fingers around her body and helped her seat on the bed again. Then he left to the adjacent room and came back with a little sphere on his hand. He seated on the edge of the bed, facing Sakura, and reached his hand to her, offering the sphere between his fingers.

"Take this medicine pill," said Sasuke, drawing the sphere near to Sakura's hands, which laid on her lap. "I found this on your bag. It seems special, better than mine does. That's because you're a medical ninja, isn't it? Some minutes are all it takes for you to be completely healed."

Sakura looked to Sasuke's long fingers that firmly held the pill. With her eyes, she traced the path to his forearm and noticed it got goose bumps. She continued moving up until her eyes found his. He was looking at her mouth. She then inclined her chest toward him and slightly opened her lips. She saw a flickering spark in his eyes as he raised his hand that grabbed the pill and took it to her. She could feel the cold and even surface of the pill touch the skin inside her lips, and opened it a little more, separating the teeth to receive the pill when Sasuke made a gentile pressure with his fingers. For a moment, the hard flesh of his fingers glued to her humid lips, and she pulled the pill inside with her tongue, rubbing her front teeth on his fingertips as he recoiled his arm. Without taking his eyes away from hers, he lowered his hand and let it fall on her lap. He searched for her hand and held it tight.

"Sakura, you put yourself in danger every time you come after me."

"You're worth it."

"But I don't want you—"he hesitated, looked away from her, and let go of her hand.

"It was stupid to come after you this weakened by my previous mission. It was an impulsive act that I don't intend to repeat. But don't ask me to stop caring about you. I can't, and I don't want to." She reached for his hand again. "And I am strong. It's just that when you are involved, I don't think straight. I just know what I feel."

"Sakura, this love you have for me needs to end," he said without looking back to her. "It puts you in danger, and I can't assure your protection. You have to forget me."

He turned back to her and saw that her face had a peaceful expression, and although her eyes were humid, she smiled.

"This pill you gave me is made of special ingredients that heal the body when it's hurt," she said in a loving tone. "Right now, I feel completely cured."

Sakura put her hands on the bed and pushed herself forward, to get closer to Sasuke. She embraced him, enlacing his bare trunk while resting her chin on his shoulder. With her face this close to his nape, she felt her lungs being flooded with his familiar smell. He remained motionless.

"But when the injury is in the soul, the remedy is of another sort. I can cure you, Sasuke-kun, if you let me. Accept the love I have to give you. Let it heal you."

She tightened her arms around his body. She could feel his trunk oscillating with his breathing, but that was the only movement he did. For a long period, their breathing was all that could be heard on the room.

"Everyone I ever loved are dead," he spoke evenly, breaking the silence.

"The shinobi world is a cruel place. We lose friends on the battlefield. We go on missions without knowing when and if we'll see the village again. But when we have someone to come back for, everything becomes easier. Let me be this person for you, Sasuke-kun. When you finish your pilgrimage, when all your sins are atoned for, please come back to the village, come back to me."

Filled with tenderness, Sakura kissed his shoulder, then his neck, and put her hands around his face, pulled it gently and gave him a kiss on his mouth. A timid kiss that was unrequited. Sasuke remained motionless on his silent obstinacy. His black eyes were fixed on Sakura while she bent her body backwards, pulled the kimono's neckline down and started to undress herself.

"It's been so long that I want you," she whispered.

Her pale skin was painted blue, illuminated by moonlight, which made her nipple look darker. Taken by the vision, Sasuke swooped upon Sakura in a violent impetus.

"Have you ever fucked a man, Sakura?"

Her eyes gleamed with rage.

"What kind of question is this?"

"To act like this, you'd better know what you're doing."

No, she did not.

"Your idiot!" she cried out, pushing Sasuke aside with all her strength. He made an agile movement and felt on his feet across the room. She pulled the kimono to cover her body and walked to the bathroom's door with heavy footsteps. Before leaving the room, she stopped for a moment and looked at him.

"Thank you Sasuke, you just cured me from this love I had."

Then she entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She was alone in a strange room again. This time, tough, she knew who was behind the door.

"And don't forget this!" she screamed, opening the door and throwing the kimono on the ground. She was speaking to an empty room. Sasuke had left.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

When Sakura booked the room, she didn't have time to look at the bathroom. Now she could see it was a big square room, with a single round window above. The moonlight passed through it, projecting a circle on its center of the room, above the tub.

 _It was a strange night_ , she thought. _At least it's over_.

She felt her own body. The pill had been effective; she wasn't in pain anymore.

 _I have to go back to Konoha, enough with this._

The room was silent. A distant sound from birds on the trees was all that could be heard.

 _I wonder what Sasuke is doing. No, no more thinking on him._

Sakura lowered her head and felt a familiar smell. Although she tried hard to forget him, his odor was still all over the ambiance.

 _That damn kimono_ , she thought.

Sakura walked toward the tub, opened the water tap, checked the temperature and let the warm water run from it.

 _I need a bath. I want to get any vestige of him off me._

When the tub was full, she entered it. The warm water embraced her, and very relaxed, she started to tap her fingers on it.

 _I've liked him for so many years, it won't be easy to forget him_ , she thought. _Well, at least I'll have his help in this matter. He won't come back to Konoha._

Two knocks on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Sakura, I want to speak to you." She recognized the low voice.

"No, thank you, you've said it all."

He insisted, knocking once more.

"I haven't said it all."

"If you're going to insult me once more, you'd better keep your mouth shut."

He didn't answer, but Sakura could hear him breathing behind the door. Given his silence, she stopped to think. She had nothing else to lose. Besides, if she could tease him a little more, she could gain a little.

"Come in."

The door opened and Sasuke entered the bathroom. His eyes didn't look so empty nor so distant anymore.

"Will you dress up?" He said, turning his face away from Sakura's naked body.

"Why? If you dressed me in your kimono a while ago, you've seen me naked. If you're disturbed, you can get out."

Sasuke didn't answer, only approached the tub, pulled a stool next to it and seated facing Sakura. From his position, he could see all her body below the transparent water. Despite this, his eyes met hers and didn't leave them even for a second.

"When I said that words, I knew the effect they'd have on you. I wanted to push you away."

"And you did."

He bit his inferior lip, as if wanting to keep the words he was about to speak inside his mouth.

"When I saw what I'd done, I realized that pushing you away wasn't what I wanted."

Sakura widened her eyes, soaking every word.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean—I like not to care about things. I like following my own path and not having to care about anyone. But the truth is, no matter how much I try, that are some people I can't leave behind. You are one of them. Every time I realized you were getting closer to me, that I saw you could take me away from my path, I had to push you away." He breathed slowly. "I want you to know that I never meant to cause you any harm. On the contrary, I wanted to push you away because I was afraid that—"A tear formed in his eye, making his iris glow, and meandered across his beautiful face. "Sakura, I destroyed everything I touched—my brother—my only family—I couldn't risk to lose you too." He hesitated for a while. "I just want you to know—"He turned his face to the side, wiping it with the back of his hand.

Sakura gaped. She never thought she would hear these words from his mouth. She remained motionless. Inside, tough, she was exhilarated. Now they could have the future she'd always dreamed for them. Now they could be happy together.

With his eyes lowered, Sasuke moved his hand close to Sakura's, which was hanging from the tub, and intertwined his fingers on hers. Then he faced her.

"My decision of staying away from the village, away from you and from the other people that care about me, it' doesn't protect only me, but you too, and I want it to remain this way."

Sakura snorted and let go of his hand.

"Just when I thought you would change, you come back with this talk. Time's passed, we're not who we were, the danger we're facing have changed."

"But I can't come back to the village before I put an end to all these dangers."

"But you can't. Nobody can." Sakura said in a graceful tone. Sasuke had been so sincere; he really wanted to protect everyone. All she could feel for him was tenderness. With his discourse, he was making her desire him more, not less. She looked at him with affection, then took his hand and kissed it.

Sasuke smiled. It was the first time she saw him smiling like that. A frank smile, albeit timid. He then pulled her hand and kissed it too, looking at her desirously. A chill ran all over her body.

"I came back to you with a completely different intention in mind, but when I saw you—you are beautiful, your body is beautiful, everything in you attracts me."

Sakura stood up, got out of the tub, walked to Sasuke and kissed him. He kissed her back, a wet and profound kiss.

"I will always want you," she said, "always."

He stared at her, his eyes burning with desire. Slowly, he reached for her face and ran his fingers through her hair, slightly pulling it. He kissed her once more, his hand going down from her neck to the small of her back, sending a thrill down her spine. With an impulse, Sakura placed her legs around his waist, and he pressed her even harder against his own body.

He pushed the door with his back, took her to the bedroom and laid her carefully on the bed. Then he took off his pants. The vision of his completely naked body aroused every inch of Sakura. She needed to touch him, to feel him. He seemed to be aware of her thoughts, for he reached for her legs and grabbed her buttocks. His warm touch made her sigh with desire. Then he opened her legs, rubbed his teeth on the inside of her thighs, and finally bit one. She wanted to scream out of desire. Desperate for his hands, she cried his name and looked at him. That's when she saw the passion in his eyes. He had finally uncovered it.

* * *

Sakura opened her eyes. The light that passed through the window indicated the dawn. She remembered the night before, how she had given herself to Sasuke, and smiled. Then, half asleep, she called his name and, still lying on the bed, turned her body to look for him. He was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he had left to eat something.

She got up and dressed herself. Sasuke seemed to have packed his things, so she decided to do the same. Then a knock on the door interrupted her. Why would Sasuke knock? She opened it, and a man greeted her.

"You seem very well!"

"Naruto, what are you doing here."

"I was downstairs waiting you to wake up. Kakashi sent me for you. He actually sent Sai, but I discovered his secret mission and asked to be sent in his place. I met Sasuke earlier." He hesitated for a while. "He was leaving. But he said that you too talked last night, and that you'd understand. It seems he still has some issues to deal with. He left this." He handed her a folded piece of paper. She didn't reach for it; Naruto had to put it on her hands.

Sakura lowered her watery eyes and let herself fall sit on the bed. A tear dropped on her lap.

"I'm sorry you didn't convince him to come back to Konoha, but I know you've tried," said Naruto. "Cheer up, Sakura-chan. There's not much we can do for him."

"But yesterday we—I thought—" she said sobbing.

Naruto widened his eyes in surprise and put a hand on Sakura's shoulder.

"I am sure he loves you," Sakura looked at her friend, that, as always, had a sincere countenance, "but he has strange ways of showing his feelings. In the past, I tried to change the way he thinks, but now I see that being his friend is accepting him the way he is. Maybe loving him is the same."

Sakura smiled.

"Who would say that you'd become such a wise guy, Naruto."

They shared a knowing smile.

"Whatever happened between you too, I know Sasuke was sincere. He cares about you."

Sakura turned the paper on her hands. It was so small; the message couldn't be that long.

"Do you think he will come back to Konoha someday?"

"I believe so. Until them, he knows he can count on us."

Sakura turned her attention to the piece of paper on her hands. She opened it and found two lines written in a hurried calligraphy: "I'll find you. Soon." She smiled, her eyes still wet. The memory of that night would always stay with her. The day Sasuke had finally accepted her love. After so many time desiring him, their bodies and hearts have found each other. Now she could come back to Konoha, for she had joined her love of youth, and a bond between them had been forged.


End file.
